What is the best Alaska Cruise????
 

This will be the one and only time I get my husband to cruise to Alaska so I want it to be the very best one. We have a daughter 12 that will be traveling with us.

Suggestions??????

Best??? There isn't one. You need to do your homework first, way before you make a ship selection.

How much time do you have?? Do you want a one way or round trip- time for interior Alaska touring?? Round trip Vancouver or Seattle???

What ports have the priority activities you want?? Glacier?? Route??

ALL these have to factor into a ship selection, if you want a good match for your priorities.

Head to your library, take out Alaska travel books, especially Alaska By Cruiseship, Fodor's Alaska. Educate yourself on ports, routes, glaciers. Factor in your budget- WAY early in this planning. Then, when you have done all this, pick the ship that offers you the best match for your trip. :)

If you just want to do a traditional 7 night cruise, many people rave about the Seattle to Seattle cruise that cruises the Hubbard Glacier and stops in Victoria, British Columbia. Also stops in Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan. Princess and Holland America specialize in this type, and the prices are good. If cost is a concern do one in August before school starts (since you have the child). You'd not have such big tourist crowds to get through in these small cities. If you're flying to Seattle, book your air early and a hotel near the airport as well, for the night before, to make sure you get to the ship on time! Hotels with airport shuttle are a must. You'll find a shuttle to the ship back at the airport next day. You'll find deals on airfare and hotels at travelocity.com, for one. It's cheaper if you book both with them. Have a wonderful cruise no matter what you choose!

If we were booking a cruise without financial constraints--we'd do the National Geographic with our kids because of the up close excursions, the chance to kayak, hike, etc and have a naturalist...
If finances were a issue--we might do something like a Royal Carribean because of the family entertainment--but thats a big leap from a small ship to a HUGE ship (rock wall etc)

Our upcoming trip is going to be on Regent--inclusive for some things--not quite as pricey as some (with recent sales) and it will lack in other distractions (teen programs) ut our boys are avid campers/hikers so I think this will be a good fit.
just m 2 cents

I really liked the Celebrity one we took - from Vancouver to Anchorage - then the train excursion to Fairbanks. The reason I like the South to North route is that every day, it got more beautiful. It was excellent! There are lots of good choices - but Celebrity was excellent, and I would recommend them...... I would also recommend a balcony - just gorgeous!!!!

I actually liked Royal Caribbean. We didn't do many activities on the ship, we just relaxed on the decks to watch the scenery.

Look at Lindblad..www.expeditions. It is very active and you get to see everything, glaciers, whales,animals, up close.

Here's a great article about the best Alaska shore excursions as ranked by Princess passengers:

http://allthingscruise.com/here-are-...re-excursions/

It might help you choose which ports you most want to visit.

Good luck!